SUNRISE, FL (AP) – Brandon Montour scored 2:26 after extra time and NHL leaders the Florida Panthers extended their winning streak to a franchise record of 13 games, beating the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Saturday night.
The winning streak is the seventh longest in NHL history and the longest in the league since Columbus won 16 consecutive games in the 2016-17 season. The victory also marked the 50th position of the temporary coach of Florida Andrew Brunet in just 71 games behind the bench of the Panthers.
Claude Giroud scored a goal and two assists for Florida, while Alexander Barkov had a goal and an assist, and Mason Marchment made two assists. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 34 shots.
“We enter the matches with great confidence,” said Giroud. “I feel that after every victory we say we can play better. Everything is going great right now. We get some bounces, make games and have fun. We just have to move on. “
Justin Hall and Mitch Marner had goals for Toronto. Jack Campbell finished with 32 saves.
“I thought the boys came out, played hard, got through a lot of trouble,” Campbell said. “Obviously you want to get away with two points, but that’s what it is. I’m just proud of the boys’ efforts.”
Maple Leafs again had the lead over the Panthers, but failed to hold it. On April 5, on his last visit, Toronto led Florida 5-1 in the second period, but eventually lost 7-6 in overtime. On Saturday night, the Panthers fell behind 2-0 after the first period, but managed to return.
“I thought our boys played hard tonight. We could easily have won the game, “said Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe. “I thought we won the first and third periods. You have to score more than two against this team. They do this all season, find ways to win. “I thought we did more than enough to win.”
Marner scored his 35th goal of the season in Toronto’s first shot of the night at 3:25 a.m. in the first period.
With 2:40 left, Hall shot down Florida defender Radko Gudas, who beat Bobrowski 2-0.
Florida came back and tied the score with a header in the third. Barkov took out the Panthers on the board with his 39th at 6:26 on the second.
Later in the period, Giroud scored his third goal with the Panthers since coming on a hit exchange.
This created an intense third period in which Bobrowski and Campbell were sharp all the time. Bobrowski made 12 saves in the third, Campbell 9.
“Bob was great, he’s the reason we’re where we are,” Brunette said. “In the second we withdrew a little, but Bob kept us. It was a good hockey game between two good teams and it took extra time to decide. “
Florida’s Jonathan Huberdo assisted, putting him two points behind Edmonton’s Connor McDavid for league leadership. McDavid is 116 for the season, and Oilers’s next game is on Sunday at Columbus.
PRESIDENTIAL COMPETITION
Florida moved four points ahead of empty Colorado (116) in the race for the presidential trophy given to the team with the best record in the regular season. Both have four games left. Florida hosts Tampa Bay on Sunday and then finishes the regular season with three games for Boston (Tuesday), Ottawa (Thursday) and Montreal (Friday). Colorado visited Winnipeg on Sunday, then hosted St. Louis on Tuesday and Nashville on Thursday before finishing in Minnesota on Friday.
NOTES: Maple Leafs welcomed star center Austin Matthews back into the squad after he missed three games with an undisclosed injury. He led the league with 58 goals after seven goals on Saturday. … Toronto’s new striker Michael Bunting left the game with 12:01 until the end of the first and did not return. Bunting has only played four shifts and “will certainly miss some time,” Keefe said. … Toronto and Florida have already set club record points for one season. Maple Leafs’ previous best score was 105 in 2017-18; The Panthers were 103 in 2015-16. … Florida went 2-1-0 against Toronto this season. … The Panthers are at a pace to overshadow 600,000 total households on Sunday night in their regular season finale at home. This will be the first time Florida has reached that number in 2015-16 … Florida is only the fourth team in NHL history to have separate winning streaks of 12 and 8 games that season and the first since Boston in 1970. -71 Bruins.
NEXT
Maple Leafs: In Washington on Sunday.
Panthers: Host at Tampa Bay on Sunday.
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